INSOMNIA

The role of depression apps in the treatment of depression

A growing body of evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation can play an important role in
the management of people who suffer from depression. Methodologically sound depression
apps
provide affordable intervention opportunities to people whose access to psychologists may be
restricted or who wish to benefit from additional, digitally delivered therapy.

Depression affects about 20% of adults aged 65 and older and is a growing problem amongst
younger people. In 2017 the World Health Organization identified depression as the leading cause
of disability worldwide and stated that more than 300 million people were affected globally.
Depression apps based on sound mindfulness meditation techniques can reach many
more of these
people than frequently over-burdened health systems can.

The scientific base for mindfulness meditation apps
Several well-designed studies have shown that mindfulness meditation programs can bring relief
to people suffering from depression and that these effects match the effects of existing
treatments. For example, a recent 2017 Dutch study of a methodologically sound meditation app
concluded that “it is possible to achieve durable positive effects on mindfulness, general
psychiatric symptoms, and several aspects of quality of life at low costs with smartphone apps
for mindfulness”.

A study jointly undertaken by Australia's National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM),
Harvard Medical School, The University of Manchester, and the Black Dog Institute in Australia
examined the efficacy of smartphone-based treatments for depression. Published in World
Psychiatry in September 2017 the study concluded that overall smartphone apps significantly
reduced people's depressive symptoms. The 3400 participants between the ages of 18-59 presented
with a range of mental health symptoms and conditions, including major, mild and minor
depression.

The future
Pooja Chandrashekar of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences envisages a useful
role for depression apps in the future.Chandrashekar believes smartphone-based mental health
apps represent a unique opportunity to expand the availability and quality of mental health
treatment. Although current mobile applications and other remote methods cannot replace
professional psychiatric and psychological care yet and only serve as a supplement to
professional treatment, in future depression apps could go a long way to
addressing the global
shortage of psychiatrists and the lack of mental health care access in rural regions.

However, according to Chandrashekar these apps should adhere to certain characteristics: high
patient engagement, a simple user interface, trans-diagnostic capabilities for other comorbid
psychological illnesses and self-monitoring features.

In the future advanced neural imaging techniques could help scientists to isolate the elements
of mindfulness meditation that are effective against depression. Once scientists have teased out
these secrets, depression app interventions could be refined to deliver optimal, personalized
relief to people who feel depressed. Moreover, real-time monitoring systems will be able to
track symptoms as they occur and allow for real-time interventions.

Depression apps and other digital mental health products will most probably
change the face of
mental healthcare treatment forever. Self-care via depression apps will
increase rapidly.
Professional care will also see a shift from psychologists’ couches to wing backs in bedrooms as
the digital revolution and advanced virtual reality technologies connect physical and mental
spaces.

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